Habitat: Domestic camels are found in North Africa, East Africa, India, Australia and Arabian countries in the desert areas, where the dromedary camels once had inhabited. In a few million years, desert still exists and the conditions might not have much difference and humans might still exist. They are domestic and are great partners of humans as they help humans carry heavy luggage, while they are able to survive through lack of food and dehydration. They mainly eat desert vegetation, berries and hay, like their ancestors. They are mainly used as transport for long travels through the deserts.
Behavioural Adaptation 1 Domestic camels usually move solitarily as they have their own individual owners. But when domestic camels see a camel of the same species they will go close to them and stick to them. This is because they want company or found a suitable partner or try cool down as their body temperature is lower than the air temperature.
Behavioural Adaptation 2 When the weather is too hot for the camels to withstand, they twitch their nose, which cools down the incoming air and condenses the moisture in their breaths, helping them to cool down. When the surrounding area is windy, they will close the nostrils so they would not breathe in sand or dust.
Physiological Adaptation Domestic camels are able to store water in its hump and are also capable of controlling how much water they will lose, like their ancestor, dromedary camels. This helps them to survive in the dry conditions of the desert for about a week.
Structural Adaptation 1 The fur of domestic camels has a very useful function. It is to insulate heat during daytime and insulate coldness during nighttime and but it also absorbs a bit of coldness, which cools the camels’ body during the daytime.
Structural Adaptation 2 Their ancestor, dromedary camels have thick lips which prevent them from hurting themselves when eating desert vegetation, so thicker gum and a specially modified tongue is also needed to serve this purpose. Domestic camels have thicker gums and their tongue has harder and sharper taste buds, which helps removing the thorns of some desert vegetations.
Fossil Animal (Poebrotherium)
Future Animal - Domestic Camel
camelus domestica
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Habitat: Domestic camels are found in North Africa, East Africa, India, Australia and Arabian countries in the desert areas, where the dromedary camels once had inhabited. In a few million years, desert still exists and the conditions might not have much difference and humans might still exist. They are domestic and are great partners of humans as they help humans carry heavy luggage, while they are able to survive through lack of food and dehydration. They mainly eat desert vegetation, berries and hay, like their ancestors. They are mainly used as transport for long travels through the deserts.
Behavioural Adaptation 1
Domestic camels usually move solitarily as they have their own individual owners. But when domestic camels see a camel of the same species they will go close to them and stick to them. This is because they want company or found a suitable partner or try cool down as their body temperature is lower than the air temperature.
Behavioural Adaptation 2
When the weather is too hot for the camels to withstand, they twitch their nose, which cools down the incoming air and condenses the moisture in their breaths, helping them to cool down. When the surrounding area is windy, they will close the nostrils so they would not breathe in sand or dust.
Physiological Adaptation
Domestic camels are able to store water in its hump and are also capable of controlling how much water they will lose, like their ancestor, dromedary camels. This helps them to survive in the dry conditions of the desert for about a week.
Structural Adaptation 1
The fur of domestic camels has a very useful function. It is to insulate heat during daytime and insulate coldness during nighttime and but it also absorbs a bit of coldness, which cools the camels’ body during the daytime.
Structural Adaptation 2
Their ancestor, dromedary camels have thick lips which prevent them from hurting themselves when eating desert vegetation, so thicker gum and a specially modified tongue is also needed to serve this purpose. Domestic camels have thicker gums and their tongue has harder and sharper taste buds, which helps removing the thorns of some desert vegetations.
Reference:
ETCSA, . (2001). Camel evolution. Retrieved in July 21, from http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:L8HnmJffIQoJ:www.etcsa.org/news/etcsa2001-02.pdf+evolution+of+camel&hl=en&gl=hk&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESi37dTh5du78rEhXLK3cDtb2bfp8p5OJx5Nprm_afldePeivGSqsTc31IXAZcN_pT2-c6h-pdpzOQgiXPGIRGbZEKKP1F0_HRggDe_EwoJMioDFydz1yNy7vdC58eevOYxY9ofj&sig=AHIEtbRucfUYV9i6Pm9lDfJGohFmKVpNXg
Huffman, B. (2004, March 23). Camelus dromedarius . Retrieved in June 20, 2010, from http://www.ultimateungulate.com/artiodactyla/camelus_dromedarius.html
Montes, M. (2006, August 18). All about Camels. Retrieved in June 20, 2010, from http://www.marisamontes.com/all_about_camels.htm